New Updates

Hey everyone!

I haven't updated this blog in the recent months. For those of you who are not aware, I have started sending my updates through mail chimp. 

If you have not been receiving the updates and would like to, please contact me. I would love to put you on my email list and share with you my stories.

If you know that you are signed up and have not been receiving the updates, don't forget to check your spam folders! If you still can't find the emails, contact me and I'll personally try to figure it out with you.

I've been sending out updates roughly every 10 days, and I really don't want you to miss the cool things that have been happening here in Honolulu. 

Kitchen Blessings

It is the beginning of a new quarter here at YWAM Honolulu, and the students arrived this week. We had Aloha Day this past Thursday, so the whole base came together as a family and was introduced to one another. It's hard to believe that we are already starting a new quarter. It feels like just yesterday I was headed back to Michigan for Christmas break. 

This quarter I am once again going to be serving in the kitchen. I often hear from people that I could be doing so much more if I was serving on a school staff since I would be directly influencing the students. However, I have found that it has been incredible opportunity for me to be on base staff. Not only do I get to bless the students each and every day by serving them various different delicious meals, but I am also able to partake in the small groups and Bible studies for the base staff. When I first came to staff here at YWAM, the only thing I wanted to do was DTS staff. I did not end up being DTS staff and I was instead in the kitchen. It was honestly the best place on base that I could have been placed. I learned so many different things (like how to cook cause oh man I'm not exactly the best), but also I was able to learn what it truly meant to love someone simply because God created them. I often have struggled with that area of life, but last quarter I was hit with a revelation. If God is able to love someone just as they are, who am I to judge where they have come from or what they are doing? It's completely unfair and each and everyone of us were called for better things.  It is such a freeing thing to be able to see someone truly grow in their relationship with the Lord and become the person He called them to be. 

A few things you can pray for

• We currently have 4 teams out in North India, South India, Nepal, and the Philippines.  Pray for the teams, that they will be renewed in Christ daily and that every person they come in contact with will meet the love of Christ through them.
• Pray for the beginning of the schools and that each and every one of the students will have an open heart to what the Lord has for them. Also that the staff and school leaders will lead them with wisdom.

Thank you deeply for all of your prayers, support, and simply reading this post. It sincerely means so much. 

Love and blessings to all of you,
Abby

Halfway Through First Quarter

As some of you know, I recently sent out emails about what is going on in my life. If you would like to be apart of those emails, please message me with your email. If not, I will continue to update my blog so you can always come back here for updates. If for some reason you were apart of the emails and did not want to be, please let me know so I can remove your email from the list. 

It's hard to believe, but I have been on staff here for almost 2 months already and it honestly blows my mind how fast time has flown by. You may have been wondering what I have been up to since I arrived here. Well, for the first quarter I've been assigned to work as base staff. I am working in the kitchen helping with meal preparation and serving the missionaries that are living here on base. My schedule each week looks like this:

Monday: 8:30-10:20 - Morning Worship and Intercession

10:30-1:00 - Making and serving lunch

2:30-5:30 - Making and serving Dinner

Tuesday: 8:30-9:45 - Staff Meeting (We usually have the DTS speaker teach us a short lesson, and then we meet in service groups. My service group is event planning and there are 4 events of the quarter (Aloha Day: the students are welcomed to the base; Ohana Night: a fun game night where the whole base gets together in community; Thanksgiving; as well as Commissioning Night: we pray over the students right before they go on outreach

10-12: 3 of the 4 of us on kitchen staff go off to Costco to buy the necessities needed to cook meals for the entire week.

12-1: We cook and serve the lunch

5:45-8:30: Evangelism night: I usually end up going to the University to evangelize to the University students

Wednesday: 10:30-1: Make and serve Lunch

2:30-5:30 - Make and serve Dinner

6:30-8:30 Worship night with the students of the schools on base

Thursday: 10-1 Making lunch and serving it

2:30-5:30 Making and serving dinner

6:30-8 Community Meeting (It's essentially a church service that YWAM puts on each week. We have worship and then a guest speaker. Everyone from the community is invited)

Friday: 10:30-1:30 - Making and serving lunch, and then also clean up

3-5:30 - Making and serving dinner

I then have Saturday and Sundays off, except for Saturday from 4:45-8 where i go to a church called C4. I also do clean up for breakfast every other day during the week.

Since I work in the kitchen and prepare meals for the missionaries here on base, I am unable to volunteer at the different outreaches we do throughout the week. However, one thing that is awesome about being here on staff is I often have several opportunities a month to volunteer during the weekend around the valley and in Honolulu.  Here are a few of the opportunities I have had recently and will be having soon!

A couple Fridays ago, (October 21st), I was able to volunteer at this event called Explicit Movement which was held at University of Hawaii. Explicit is an movement that heals and empowers youth and young adults to live out healthy sexuality and relationships as they discover their God-given identity. It was a really cool experience to be apart of. We got to hear a world known porn star give her testimony on how she came to the Lord and left the industry. We also were able to partake in a workshop. The people would put their hands in a bucket of sand and think about how that is representing the grit and dirt of our lives. Once they were ready and got a good amount, they would move their hands over another bucket and I would pour water over their hands representing how Christ cleanses us from our sins. Honestly it was so awesome to see all these college students truly experiencing the Lord and repenting of their sins.

I also had the opportunity to volunteer at a Halloween event on Friday, October 28. I ran a booth where kids threw balls of newspaper into cups to win pet fish and candy. Throughout the entire event, I was able to hang out with the middle school kids from a local school. I don’t have opportunities to volunteer that often, but when I do I really enjoy being able to do something for the community.

We just recently had our Ohana night on base. This is an event that happens once a quarter and the entire base gets together and plays games and just hangs out. This past one we did an event similar to wheel of fortune, except it was with brackets. It was a lot of fun and each of the teams had different themes to dress up as such as fruits, animals, awkward family photo, vegetables, marvel, D.C., bible characters, boy band, cowboy and cowgirls, the 50s, disney, and tourists. 

On Sunday, November 13th, I will be volunteering at a church in the morning from 9-12:30. Myself and five others will be leading children in Bible lessons. There are three age groups: kindergarten, 3rd-4th graders, and 5th - 6th graders. The six staff will split into three groups, and myself and another girl will be leading the 3rd and 4th graders in a Bible lesson. It is still to be determined what we will teach. In doing this, we are able to help out the parents of the church as they are going to a meeting that they otherwise would not be able to attend. 

Overall my time here has been a hoot. I love being able to serve everyone on base, and I only get annoyed every now and then. God keeps showing me how much I really need Him and I can't lean on others or myself. I cannot do this on my own strength. Thank you so much for both prayer support and financial support, I could not do this without your support back home. Please feel free to email me with questions or prayer and praise requests you might have back home.  I would love to add you to my prayer list! My prayer requests would be for good health, no homesickness, and continual joy and patience.

Blessings,

Abby

Aloha Week

I have been on staff for two weeks and I am already experiencing how much of a blessing it is to be able to do the work that I do. I have the privilege to be able to serve the people on base by making their meals throughout the week. I was a bit nervous at first about how I would feel and if I would have a good heart about all that I was doing. However, in just the first two weeks I have discovered how much I truly enjoy being able to serve everyone and be able to bless them through something as simple as cooking. I have been placed in such a good place this quarter.

These past two weeks have been filled with staff training as well as learning how to make various different meals. This past Saturday (September 17) a few of the people on base had the opportunity to go and serve at a senior luncheon held by a local church in Manoa Valley. We cheered them on as they entered into the celebration, and we served them a collection of food. It was awesome to be able to see them and talk with them about their lives and be able to celebrate with them and bless each one. 

This week is week that the students are starting to arrive and the schools will begin. We are gaining around 50 students, so it's going to be quite the busy base. I am excited to see Jesus radically change these student's lives as He reveals Himself and His character to each and every one of them.


Prayer Requests: 
 - That the students settle in well and there is no trouble adjusting to life here, as well as safe travels for them all
- Energy. It is surprisingly exhausting working in the kitchen for three meals a day. Also that I would get proper rest when given the opportunity to rest.
- Health. Somehow people always get sick when they first arrive and are adjusting to a new location. It would be cool if that didn't happen this time because when living in community, sickness travels quickly.

Fresh Start

For those who have been wondering, I did indeed make it safely to Hawaii. I had a five day stay in Washington because I was standing up in a wedding for a friend I made while in YWAM. I arrived into Honolulu around 9pm on Sunday night, and have been adjusting well.

I will be on kitchen staff for the first four months of my two year commitment. I have a solid crew that I am working with so that is quite nice. After having a few staff meetings and time in prayer, I'm even more excited to see what will become of these two years here in YWAM. I cannot wait to grow and learn even more as well as grow closer to the Lord. The first two weeks are going to be filled with an ample amount of staff training and worship. This week we are spending the time studying and reading the book of 1 Corinthians together.

Currently, my prayer request is that I get more adjusted and used to living back in Hawaii as well as getting used to my schedule.

Thank you again for all of your prayers and support. I would not be here without you and would not be able to be doing this.

Graduation

In case you were unaware, I graduated from the CSBS on Thursday, June 30. I did not completely finish though until July 1 considering I still had homework due. That being said, as of four hours ago,  I am a free for the summer. 

These past nine months have been some of the most challenging as well as rewarding months of my life. I am so thankful for being able to experience and learn what I did. I have to admit though, there were an ample amount of tears that were made on the path to graduation. As much as I would love to go into a deep detail of everything I have learned over the course of this school, it would take far too long to explain it all. If you would like to hear more about what I have learned, I am coming home to Michigan for the summer! I would love to get together with you and share about my experiences. I will be home July 4 through August 30th. 

I'm sure a fair amount of you are wondering what I am going to be doing in my future now that I have completed this school. As of June 17, I have been accepted to come back and staff for two years! This September I will be flying back to YWAM Honolulu to start my commitment. I am not entirely sure as to what it is that I will be staffing. I might be in the DTS staffing which would most likely result in me support staffing in September and learning all the basics of what it takes to lead a team, and then leading my own team in January. I also could be on base staffing which is a multitude of things. Base staffing has several different positions such as hospitality (housekeeping), kitchen, yard, accounting, and maintenance. I really have no idea what I will be doing for YWAM Honolulu this coming fall, but no matter what it is I am positive it will be pretty awesome. Once I officially know, I will update you all on what that specifically is. 

Once again, thank you all for your prayers and support in my journey. I honestly could not have done this without you! 

Here are some photos of graduation!

May

No worries to all of you! I am still here! 

It's been quite some time since I have posted an update and I apologize about that. Life has been hectic lately.  I have six weeks left of this school, which blows my mind. It's hard to believe I've already done eight months so far. I have twelve books left to study after this week. 

Last week we studied the book of Romans. By the way, in case you were not aware, the book of Romans is filled with a lot of theology that does not make sense.  I entered with some questions about things like predestination, but instead of answers I have only discovered more questions. There's so many new things I want to research about, but currently I lack the time. 

This week we are studying the books of Ephesians, Colossians, and 1 Timothy. It is pretty packed, but I am fairly excited for all that these books hold. 

One thing I have discovered is that Paul is one of the most hardcore men I have ever read about. He was beaten, put into prison countless times, and was practically stoned to death. Yet that did not stop him from getting right back up and out there and preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. I have found him to be inspiring. If we would be like Paul and live out the faith that God calls us to, can you even imagine what kind of impact we would be making on this world? So why don't we stop with our needless worries of what people will think of us and let go of whatever is holding us back, and simply just say yes. Let God use you for a bigger purpose, cause He's not going to let you down.

I have also learned lately that God is just. He is not always fair. And that  was a hard thing for me to wrap my mind around. How could God not be fair? Then I had to think about all those times something happened that I was not a fan and I said "That's not fair" and then someone would say "Well, life is not fair". God is pretty cool. I love Him and I wouldn't trust anyone else with my future. That does not mean that He is fair though. Jesus dying on the cross wasn't fair because we should have died. Our father is a good good father. And He is a just one as well. He's not going to let people get away with things so that it's fair. It's something to wrestle with, that is for sure.

So in these next six weeks we are studying these books in this order: Philemon, Titus, 1 Peter, 2 Timothy, Hebrews, John, 2 Peter, Jude, 1, 2, 3 John, and then ending with Revelation. There's still a lot of work that I have, but the end is near. And I cannot even explain how excited I am to come home to the beautiful city of Grand Rapids six weeks from today! 

Prayer Requests:

• Lately,  I have been hitting my wall. I have been in this school for eight months already, and the level of motivation and energy to keep pursuing that I have had is starting to dissipate. 

• Secondly, I come home for my brother's wedding on the 15th of June and am home until the 19th. Safe travels for that would be amazing. Also ya'll should shoot up a prayer for my brother and his fiancée cause they are precious and I am sure they are stressed out. Nate has a super important test that decides where he is placed for residency, and if you know my brother, he's studying his life away right now. He takes this test June 14, which is four short days before he gets married. So you can bet that he's probably stressed out about it. Also, my brother Zach flies in on the 14th and he's pretty cool too. Shoot up prayers for him and his ministry in Guatemala as well as for safe travels for him to return home for the wedding. 

• Third, I recently have discovered that my heart has been breaking for all these people around me. I cannot do anything to make their situations better, and as a result my heart breaks and I am filled up with all this emotion that I do not know how to handle. To top that off, I found out today that a person that I went to high school with for a year, passed away in a car accident. I did not know him very well, but I am hurting so much right now from everyone's hurt and prayers would be greatly appreciated.